Particulate metering and mixing system for an agricultural sowing machine

ABSTRACT

A metering and mixing system of solid particulates for a rotary seed dispenser in agricultural equipment for sowing, wherein the rotary seed dispenser is mounted under a seed feeder. The rotary seed dispenser is driven at the bottom by a planter drive system, which provides rotation to a spinning disc provided with a number of calibrated orifices through which the seeds housed in the disc orifices fall on a given point of the agricultural equipment. The metering and mixing system of solid particulates includes a solid particulate feeder that is positioned between the seed feeder and the rotary seed dispenser.

The present invention relates to a metering and mixing system ofparticulate solids for seed rotary dispenser used in agriculturalequipment designed for sowing.

As known by those skilled in the art, conventionally, rotary seeddispensers installed in agricultural machines specifically designed forsowing, more commonly known as “planters”, usually comprise a tractorused as a driving unit of the sowing equipment, which, while beingdriven over the soil to be cultivated sequentially performs thefollowing operations: a) furrows the soil; b) receives an adequatenumber of seeds at previously established spacing; and c) revolves thesoil again to cover the seeds, now placed in the furrows.

These planters, in general, have a number of mechanisms to carry out thethree basic steps described above; one of such mechanisms is the seedrotary dispenser, where the novelty aspect of the present invention liesand which will be defined later.

The seed rotary dispenser is essentially a tubular housing of circularcross-section of small height assembled underneath a small grain-feedingbin. The seed rotary dispenser is driven at the bottom by a miter gearcoupled to the planter driving system which provides rotation to aspinning disc with a number of calibrated orifices (holes) and a ringmounted facing the disc and a passage opening through which the seeds,housed in the disc holes, fall at a given point of the device.

Some rotary dispenser models in conventional equipment, which belongs tothe state of the art, have a radial organizer and expelling devicesactuated by springs.

A seed rotary dispenser model, which belongs to the state of the art, isdescribed in patent document PI9701103-7, of the same patent holder,filed on Feb. 27, 1997, under the title “Seed dosing system for plantingcereals and leguminous plants.”

Seeds deposited in the bin can receive several different treatments, allexternally to the small bin, with liquid products and/or particulatesolids for several purposes, mixed in mechanical and/or manual ways,which prepare them for sowing.

The holder of the present invention, constantly active in field andlaboratory research, always with the objective of improving seed flowstandardization during the progress of planting, carried out byplanters, proposes a metering and mixing system of particulate solids,with the purpose of providing a treatment to the seeds before they arecast in the planting; where, for said function the system will bepositioned between the grain bin and the rotary dispenser.

Thus, the present invention comprises a metering and mixing system whosefunction is to direct the seeds by gravity through the feed cone, whichis to be positioned in the bin above, conveying the seeds to acylindrical mixing compartment at the same time that particulate solidsdeposited at an input will be metered and conveyed by the rotary motionof a worm thread to the cylindrical mixing compartment; the seeds andthe particulate solids will be mixed by a propeller which may bemanufactured with rigid or flexible material, wherein both the wormthread and the propeller have their motion actuated by a gear set, whichreceives, in turn, the movement from a drive gear, which, coupled to therotating disc with holes is driven by the miter gear, which is driven bythe planter transmission system; and, after the mixing, these seeds nowtreated, are deposited neatly between the first and second feeding areaof the rotary dispenser through the outlet window.

Next, this invention will be described with reference to the attacheddrawings, where:

FIG. 1 presents a plan view of the drive gear that comprises themetering and mixing system, the object of this invention;

FIG. 2 presents an elevation view of the drive gear shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 presents a perspective view of the drive gear positioned todetect the movement of the rotary disc with holes;

FIG. 4 presents a bottom view of the driving gear coupled to the rotarydisc with holes;

FIG. 5 presents a perspective view of the gear set that transmits themovement to the mixer propeller of the system, the object of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 presents a top view of the feed cone of the mixer with thepropeller, the outlet window for seeds and the cylindrical mixingcompartment of the mixer;

FIG. 7 presents a section view of the cone taken according to the lineA-A of FIG. 6, illustrating the relative arrangement of the propeller,the outlet window for seeds and the cylindrical mixing compartment ofthe mixer;

FIG. 8 presents a top view of the mixer feed cone, illustrating thepropeller, the body of the metering dispenser, fitted with an openingfor feeding the particulate solids, the worm thread of the meteringdispenser and the outlet window of seeds already treated;

FIG. 9 presents an elevation and section view, according to line B-B ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 presents a perspective view of the worm thread;

FIG. 11 presents a top view of the seed rotary dispenser, representingthe state of the art and known by the patent PI9701103-7 of the sameholder;

FIG. 12 presents a top view of the seed rotary dispenser in conventionalequipment, which has a radial organizer, and seed expelling devices,actuated by springs; and

FIG. 13 presents a radial elevation section view of the metering andmixing system, the object of the present invention, illustrating in anschematic way all the metering operation and the treatment of seedsbefore they are released into the sowing line.

According to these illustrations, the metering and mixing system ofparticulate solids for a seed rotary dispenser used in agriculturalequipment for sowing, the object of the present invention, is comprisedby a feed cone (5) positioned between the seed (grains) bin (20)installed above, and the cylindrical mixing compartment (6) positionedbelow, built or not into the feed cone (5). Radially to this feed cone(5) a feed body (9) is provided, defined by a tubular part, into which aspindle or worm thread (8) is provided, whose function is to convey theparticulate solids deposited through an end input (10) of such tubularbody (9) and through the tubular body (9) until said particulate solidsreach the cylindrical mixing compartment (6), see FIGS. 9 and 13, wherethe seeds will be mixed by a propeller (4) which can be manufacturedwith rigid or flexible material. Both the worm thread (8) and thepropeller (4) have their movement transmitted through the gear set (3),see FIGS. 5 and 9, which, in turn, receives the movement from a drivinggear (1), mounted coaxially and internally to the seed dispensercontainer (21), see FIG. 13. This driving gear (1), see FIGS. 3 and 4,is axially coupled to the rotating disc with holes (2) and is driven bythe miter gear which, in turn, is driven by the planter transmissionsystem (not illustrated). After being mixed, the seeds are depositedneatly between the first (12) and the second (13) supply area of therotary dispenser (21) through the outlet window (7) of the cylindricalmixing compartment (6), see FIGS. 7 and 13.

Therefore, as can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 13, the respective gear set (3)causes the worm thread (8) to rotate, in order to meter and convey thepreset amount of solid particles along the body of the metering device(9), between the feeding area (10) of the particulate solids and theoutlet window of particulate solids (11), where said solid particlesfall into the cylindrical mixing compartment (6); and the propeller (4),which rotates inside such cylindrical mixing compartment (6), isresponsible for mixing the seeds, which come from the seed bin (20),with the particulate solids introduced into the cylindrical mixingcompartment (6), as mentioned above.

With such configuration provided by the present invention, the assemblyof the solid mixer set relative to the seeds rotating dispenser,according to FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, allows that the seeds are alreadymixed or superficially impregnated with the solid particles, whenpassing through the last organizer.

Despite a preferable embodiment of the metering and mixing system ofparticulate solids and seeds, assembled in a seed metering dispenser hasbeen described and illustrated herein, it is important to mention thatsuch construction herein defined for its components may and willforeseeable be used in a separated way in other dispensers, and suchapplications may use different mounting and retaining means such asbolts, clips, and other fittings, among other types of fasteners.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A metering and mixing system of solidparticulates for a seed meter in an agricultural equipment for sowingcomprising a drive system, wherein the seed meter is mounted under aseed feeder, the seed meter is driven by the drive system that providesrotation to a spinning disc provided with several calibrated orificesthrough which seeds housed in the disc orifices fall on a given point ofthe agricultural equipment, and wherein the metering and mixing systemof solid particulates comprises a solid particulate feeder that ispositioned between the seed feeder and the seed meter, the metering andmixing system further comprising a cylindrical mixing compartmentpositioned between the seed feeder and the seed meter, the systemfurther comprising a feed receiver mounted under the seed feeder andover the cylindrical mixing compartment, the feed receiver configuredfor conveying the seeds by gravity from the seed feeder to thecylindrical mixing compartment; and wherein the solid particulate feedercomprises a radial solid particulate feeder configured to convey solidparticulates to the cylindrical mixing compartment simultaneously withthe seeds, where, by means of a propeller, the seeds and solidparticulates are mixed together; and, after mixing these seeds with thesolid particulates, the seeds mixed with the solid particulates aredeposited neatly in feeding areas of the seed meter through an outletwindow of the cylindrical mixing compartment.
 2. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the feed receiver comprises a feed cone and thecylindrical mixing compartment and the feed cone are formed integrally,as a single piece.
 3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the feedreceiver comprises a feed cone and the cylindrical mixing compartment iscoupled to the feed cone.
 4. The system according to claim 1, whereinthe radial solid particulate feeder comprises a tubular part in which ascrew or worm thread is provided, which conveys through the tubular bodythe solid particulates deposited through an end inlet of such tubularbody up to an outlet, at the opposite end of said tubular body, providedinside the cylindrical mixing compartment.
 5. The system according toclaim 4, wherein the propeller and the screw or worm thread inside ofthe corresponding tubular body have their movements transmitted by a setof gears which, in turn, receive the movement from a driving gear,mounted coaxially and internally to the seed meter.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein a drive gear is coupled axially to thespinning disc with orifices and is moved by a miter gear, which isdriven by the drive system.
 7. The system according to claim 1, whereina first feed area and a second feed area of the seed meter areconfigured to receive the seeds mixed with the solid particulatesthrough the outlet window of the cylindrical mixing compartment.